Free parking ended on Monday morning at 8:30am, so that’s exactly the time that we picked up our car – Jake the Juke (a bright blue, Nissan sport car that has become something like a pet to us along our journey) – and headed straight for Stirling Castle before continuing on to see St. Andrews.
I know we’ve already dragged on about the views throughout the countryside of Scotland, but they are seriously breathtaking. I have never in my life been so impressed with scenery – the sheep scattered everywhere like palm trees in Florida, the fields filled with yellow lilies, and the vastly colored green grasses – and what a wonderful break from city life in The Concrete Jungle.
With the sun shining on Jake the Juke and the stone walls of Stirling awaiting us, we headed through the main entryway to hear more about the history of Scotland’s most important, and arguably most famous, castle.
Stirling has huge walls that obviously played a huge role in protecting the castle from intruders back in the early 13-1700s. It sits atop a massive hillside that overlooks the town of Stirling, and also offers a magical view of the William Wallace monument in the distance. Stirling was also where Mary Queen of Scots spent most of her life – hosting dinner parties, government events and ruling over her native Scotland.
The history, the sculptures, the paintings writhing the castle – everything was lovely and very educational too. It was a must stop on our travels throughout the country. And just like that we were off again to visit the home of golf and more importantly – the place where Will met Kate (Middleton…duh).
Pulling up to St. Andrews feels a bit like you’re entering Disney – at least for adults. You are treated with views of The Old Course – the oldest golf course in the world – and also views of the stone Castle and Cathedral walls in the distance. The streets are lined with cobblestones that house shops, cafes, student centers, and history. It’s really a lovely campus and town, and reminded me quite a bit of a stone version of Miami of Ohio (which is more famous for its red brick).
We grabbed some tea and a quick bite, before heading to photograph the Castle remains and Cathedral. Both were absolutely beautiful! And then it was time for golf! The grass was more green than Augusta – or at least based on what I’ve seen on TV- and you can tell that they’re extremely proud of their traditions. There are no carts used on the old course… No fancy sporting wear… Just good ol’ caddies and their golfers in tow. It was insanely windy on the course, but we enjoyed it none-the-less. I’m still a “wee bit” bitter though, as I was winning until the last hole before Patrick shot an impressive birdie. Oh well… It’s his thirtieth birthday after all, right? Let the old man win one… Ha!
We were sad to pack up the car and leave St. Andrews, but our hostess in Aberdeen was patiently awaiting our arrival, so we headed for the next stop around 5:00pm. Aberdeen is the third largest city in Scotland and sits right on the Eastern coastline. The town is home to stunning views of the water, but was definitely not as historic looking or naturally beautiful as Edinburgh, Stirling or St. Andrews.
Lucky for us, though, our second AirBnB stop was perfect and felt just like home. We showered up, and walked to a local restaurant that our hostess recommended – Adelphi Kitchen – for traditional Scottish fare. We ordered fresh seafood, a bottle of wine and reminisced about our wonderful day from Edinburgh to Aberdeen. From there we popped over to a cocktail bar – The Tippling House – we’d read about on Trip Adviser for a night cap. We had too much fun with the bartenders there. We started with some of their famous cocktails, and ended the night with three large drams of scotch. Whewph! They were super knowledgable about their Scotches and were also helpful with recommendations on other bars and restaurants during the rest of our trip.
It was a long and productive day in Scotland, and we hit the hay and were asleep in minutes. Up next? The road from Aberdeen up to the Highlands and Inverness… Aka Distilleries, Distilleries, Distilleries.
Much love and shout out with any questions,
-Two for Takeoff
Mags it is about 11;;00 am on Friday morning here in Cols. and G’ma is having breakfast while I read her your newest post on St. Andrews to Aberdeen. It sounds like you two had a wonderful day in beautiful Scotland. I’m envious of the round of golf you got to play at St. Andrews – but it sounds like your entire day was wonderful. Tell Patrick we still need more photos and that G’ma has taken over ownership of the red blanket your grandmother had given to Maggie for Christmas. She loves to get wrapped up in it to stay warm in her chair and she has done that both in Florida and now back in Columbus, Ohio. Tell Grandma that her red blanket is definitely being used often. Enjoy Scotland you two! Love Dad and G’ma